Good Eats

Of course I forgot my camera. I knew I would. 'Twas beautiful people. Orange and Yellow leaves turning brown and mushy and glistening under the late autumn golden (GOLDEN) sunshine honey casting long shadows. And the lush green cornish evergreens, bushes, grasses keeping it real with their green pop. Yeah, I said pop. Oh. The. Delight. You should've seen it.

And I realised I just cooked this feeling. Yup. I just cooked this feeling up. Because food is feeling. You knew that, right? I think I always did but have only just put it into words. BECAUSE FOOD IS FEELING.

I've taken the dog out for a quick early evening stroll around the neighbourhood, as everything is settling in and cooling down. There I am, with my hat, cowl and fingerless alpaca gloves (yellow ones, by brother forget in NY on our visit in March. Thanks bro. They're warm and light and don't make your palms sweat). So there I am walking around with my sunnies on into the sunset, and I smell of warm spices and creaminess. A-hum. I smell creamy. Like coconuts. You see, I've just cooked butternut squash, sweet potato, red lentil, spinach and coconut curry. Yeah. I just made that. And it smells the way I feel. Spicy, warm, vibrant, orange, glowing. Hello November. On fluffy steamy white basmati rice (like the crepuscular or 'God rays' piercing their way through the stratocumulus, get it?) . SLURRPPP.

In a s**tload of ghee or coconut oil (about half a cup) warm the asafoetida (teaspoon), the kalonji seeds (teaspoon), curry leaves (pinch, 10/20 leaves) let the aromas release, add the garam masala. Smell thaat and let it just allow you to slip into something more comfortable, ahh, breathe ... then add the blitzed onion, garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric. Punch. In the stomach much? From hunger pangs. From deliciousness.That smell!

Add butternut squash (1 large one), and two large sweet potatoes (both peeled and chopped into appetising sized cubes) and two handfuls of red lentils. 1 carton /can of coconut milk and 1 carton creamed coconut. add about 3 cups of water, salt and pepper. Let the magic happen. Keep stirring so the lentils don't catch at the bottom of the pot. It shouldn't be hard: the aromas will be bubbling up and making their way into your olfactory senses, calling you back over, time and time again. Cook till veg is soft but not mashed. Add massive handful of green beautiful spinach (chopped) at the end, stir in.

Roast the seeds in the oven with a touch of extra curry powder for extra flavour, or just in salt/pepper/paprika/chilli...you know, make it up. That's what I do.

You know that point in your life when everything changed forever? That was for me The Truth of The Matter, an oracle of soul wisdom that reinterpreted the power of living my best life yet by invoking courage to move beyond the illusion of death.